Former Iron Maiden vocalist Paul Di’Anno returns to the road and performs in Porto Alegre

Heavy rock is full of characters, more or less manufactured, with a greater or lesser amount of legends around them. But it’s safe to say that few have been through as much, and with as much authenticity, as Paul Di’Anno. An epoch-making vocalist at the helm of Iron Maiden’s first two albums, the English singer brings a series of life stories (some almost unbelievable) in his luggage – and he’s writing one of them right now, here in Brazil: a huge 31-date tour , the biggest ever made by a foreign artist on Brazilian soil, in the midst of a complex and time-consuming treatment to recover the movement of the legs, paralyzed for years.

Porto Alegre will have the chance to write one of the chapters of this story on Thursday, starting at 8 pm, at Teatro Ciee (Rua Dom Pedro II, 861). Accompanied by musicians from the Brazilian groups Electric Gypsy and Noturnall (who perform individually as opening bands), Paul Di’Anno will bring songs from the albums Iron Maiden (1980) and killers (1981), in a night that promises to wash the souls of heavy metal fans in Rio Grande do Sul. Tickets, from R$ 150.00, are on sale on the Clube do Ingresso website.

In addition to marking the musician’s reunion with the road, after years without touring, the tour The Beast Resurrection it also serves an important purpose in helping Paul finance his treatment. With his knees rendered useless after a series of injuries, the vocalist traveled to Croatia, at the invitation of Stjepen Juras, author of a series of books on the history of Iron Maiden. There, he managed to undergo the fundamental surgeries to recover the movement of his legs – a treatment that counted, among other donors, with Iron Maiden himself, who helped pay for the operations of his former vocalist. The treatment, however, continues – and the publisher Estética Torta, promoter of the tour, makes it clear that part of the income from the shows and the sale of merchandising will go directly to the vocalist’s account, helping to keep health care up to date.

“I practically went from home care straight to the road, which I believe hardly anyone would dare to do”, says Paul Di’Anno to Jornal do Comércio. “The tour is going great, the fans are enjoying it and I’m enjoying it too, but I have to tell you that I’m pretty tired. Brazil is a very big country. Anyway, that’s how things are on tour : no one expects it to be a ride.”

Something even more tiring when you consider that a team of nurses and a physiotherapist accompanies you on all trips, in a demanding routine of exercises and lymphatic drainage. “You cannot even imagine how difficult this has all been. It cannot be said if it is not experienced. Of course now I feel much better, because the operation was a complete success, but the operation is just one – very important – segment of the whole journey. In any case, my focus is on maintaining the motivation to finally get out of the wheelchair”, he explains.

The stay in Zagreb, capital of Croatia, ended up making a big difference in Paul Di’Anno’s life. In addition to the surgeries, he had the chance to put together a new solo band, Warhorse, with which he intends to release an album in the coming months. And he also had the chance to take advantage of an Iron Maiden tour of the European country to meet up with bassist Steve Harris and manager Rod Smallwood, whom he hadn’t seen for decades. After years of heavy-handed press, it seems clear that Paul (who has left to make way for current vocalist, the equally legendary Bruce Dickinson) and his former colleagues are at peace.

“The media can say all sorts of things, but my relations with Maiden have always been good and I used to exchange messages with Steve on the phone even before we met in Zagreb. He even texted me a few days ago,” assures Paul . “Iron Maiden have always been a great band, both as musicians and as people. Many thanks to them for their help with my recent surgery, things like that you never forget.”

The British metal giant, incidentally, is still very present in Paul Di’Anno’s current repertoire, made exclusively of old Maiden classics, as she is nicknamed by fans. Far from being tired of the songs he recorded 40 years ago, he assures that he is very proud of everything he did in his days with the band. “Playing Maiden classics every day is a new experience every time, because every city, every audience reacts to them very emotionally, and so I feel flooded with emotions too”, he reveals.

An exchange of good energies that is good not only for the singer, on his still long journey towards full recovery, but also for the countless Brazilian fans, who have been showing up in good numbers to the dates of the long tour – there will be at least 12 more shows after the Capital, on a journey that only ends in mid-March. “A tour like this couldn’t happen anywhere other than Brazil,” he guarantees. “If I’m able to arrange everything logistically, I would love to stay in Brazil for a few months. Thank you so much to everyone who has come out to support me.”